Rating: Summary: You have got to get it! Review: I went to young author's contest and was fortunate enought to meet Kate DiCamillo. She was very nice and funny. Like another reviewer I was also hooked by the first sentence. This is a lovely story for any age. I personaly love dogs and this book tells how India Opal's dog, Winn Dixie, brings everyone a little closer together. This is a wonderful book. You have to get it!
Rating: Summary: Good Neighbors are not gone Review: I reluctantly read this book; what a wonderful surprise I got! This book shows that kids can accomplish great things and make a difference in the lives of those around them. It's an easy read--interesting characters that one can identify with--and a dog that will touch anyone's heart.
Rating: Summary: AWESOME READER! Review: This book, was short but sweet, all of her adventures were so heartfelt and touching! I really hope the author of this book decides to continue the adventures of Winn-Dixie and India Opal, because i would hope the adventures would never end.
Rating: Summary: Hooked from the first sentence, "and I came back with a dog" Review: I was sitting on the couch this afternoon snuggled up with my 9 year-old son reading. We picked up Because of Winn-Dixie, and as I began to read the first sentence to him, I was hooked with the words, "and I came back with a dog." I quite simply could not put the book down. I have never laughed and cried so much at the same time while reading any other book. When I would start to cry or laugh I would hand the book to my son Jason and he would continue reading out loud until I could go on. It was like reading about people we already knew so well. Amazing book! What a gifted and talented writer Kate DiCamillo is! Can't wait for her next book!
Rating: Summary: Wow-unbelieveable! Review: I can't believe that I, a person who doesn't normally read kid's books or any fiction really, was lured into reading all three chapters of the excerpt provided by Amazon.com. I have to have this book now. I love the writing style and the characters. I love the way the warm emotions just shine through. It is a feeling book. It is so warm and so well written. It may get me reading fiction for a change! I highly recommend this book, especially if you love to love.
Rating: Summary: Beautiful story of family and friendship Review: I just finished reading this book aloud to my 8-year-old son. We both loved the story of India Opal and her smiling dog, Winn-Dixie. The author writes in the book jacket that she hopes this book is "a hymn of praise to dogs, friendship, and the South." To Ms DiCamillo I say thank you for such a beautiful hymn. The Southern dialogue in this book rings so true (as I am a Southern girl myself). There is magic in this book...the good magic you find in a story about love and hope and healing. My son wants to know...will there be a second book about Winn-Dixie? We didn't want this book to end.
Rating: Summary: sweet, heartwarming story Review: This is a sweet, heartwarming story. You will enjoy reading it.
Rating: Summary: Because of Winn Dixie Review: This book was a good book it's about a girl named India Opal Buloni. One day her father, a preacher sent her to the store for some rice, macaroni-and cheese and two tomatoes but she did not come back with any of those things. She came back with a dog named Winn Dixie. India named her dog Winn Dixie for a reason. Characters in this story are India Opal Buloni, Mr.Buloni, Stevie and Dunlap Dewberry, Mrs.Franny, Gloria Dump, Sweety Pie, and Otis. The sitting of this book is Naomi Florda. I think the book should have had some kind of pictures in it but then again I liked to picture things in my head. I recommend this book to childeren in sixth grade because it tells you that being rich and having name brand clothes is not everything.
Rating: Summary: A charming dog story full of grace and wisdom! Review: Our elementary school library just acquired two copies of "Because of Winn-Dixie," because of its status as a Newbery Honor book. I gave it to one of our fourth grade teachers to preview. She devoured it, raved about the book and immediately began reading it aloud to her class. Now we have a growing list of students waiting for it on hold.Before letting the kids check it out, I read it, and absolutely loved it. The other reviews here give you a good picture of what the book is about. What I liked about "Winn-Dixie" is that it packs a lot of grace and wisdom into an appealing scruffy dog story. For example, when Opal befriends elderly Gloria Dump, she asks her about learning "the most important thing." "'It's different for everyone,' she said. 'You find out on your own. But in the meantime, you got to remember, you can't always judge people by the things they done. You got to judge them by what they are doing now.'" Quite often in the past few years I've been disappointed by titles that have received the Newbery Medal or Honor. "Because of Winn-Dixie" is a title that genuinely deserves this honor. In my opinion, this Honor book will become a classic, much as the Laura Ingalls Wilder Newbery Honor books of the 1930s and 1940s are still being read today. Very rarely do I read a book that I insist my friends and fellow teachers read, or that I'm tempted to buy for many people. "Because of Winn-Dixie" falls into that category.
Rating: Summary: for libr262 Review: Because of Winn-Dixie, the first book by Kate DiCamillo, is a story about a girl and her dog. The book opens with ten-year-old India Opal Buloni and her father, a preacher, having just moved to Naomi, Florida. Opal's mother left when she was little and her father has grown increasingly withdrawn, so Opal feels particularly alone in this new town - until she meets a charming stray dog named Winn-Dixie, who helps her learn about friendship. Opal rescues Winn-Dixie from the irate manager of the Winn-Dixie grocery store (from which he gets his name), and he rescues her from a sense of isolation. Winn-Dixie's unabashed enthusiasm and total acceptance of everyone help Opal meet people and make friends. Together, Winn-Dixie and Opal create a community out of an unlikely group of people. In the end, Opal and the whole cast of characters learn lessons about friendship, openness, and understanding. Because of Winn-Dixie is charming and refreshing. The characters are engaging, the language convincing, and the story sweet. The book pays more attention to character than plot, but the story moves along naturally as a winning vehicle for the characters. The book provides a series of vignettes that serve to acquaint the reader with and give insights into the characters and their lives. So effectively are they introduced and described, the reader begins to care about them almost immediately, and Opal is a particularly likable leading lady. Not much direct attention is given to the setting, but the imagery and language successfully conjure the atmosphere of a small southern town. I would highly recommend Because of Winn-Dixie to anyone from intermediate readers to adults. The language and plot are simple enough for third graders, but the story and characters are appealing enough for people of all ages to enjoy.
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